Object

Representation ID: 15110

Received: 14/12/2020

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Strongly support delivery of affordable housing as part of residential developments. However, a number of concerns over the detail (or lack of) contained within Policy P4A which are considered unsound as drafted.
Part 6/7/8
These parts of the policy define the amount and type of affordable housing to be delivered.
However, these policies make specific reference to certain types of affordable housing which is not consistent with Part 1 which lists the various types
of affordable housing such as “social rented, affordable rented, intermediate tenure and Starter Homes, which is available at below market price or rent and which is affordable to households whose needs are not met by the market.”
These parts of the policy should be amended to refer to: affordable housing for rent (to include either social and affordable rent) and intermediate housing. The inclusion of Starter Homes is questionable.
With regards to the housing mixes specified for both affordable products, it is considered unnecessary to define these in a policy and certainly not applied to
each and every site that comes forward. The mixes proposed are appropriate for the whole Borough and each site with have different characteristics that may make them more suitable for a certain mix than others (ie central urban sites would be more suitable for 1 and 2 bed homes, whereas greenfield urban sites would be more suitable for larger family homes. The mixes would not be the same for each location, but the blended mix would achieve the needs of the Borough as a whole). Overall, mix should be linked to SMBC latest Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA)/Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) (or other future relevant evidence base document) but not applicable in the same mix for each site location. This will ensure this policy aligns with the latest evidence base and remains effective and deliverable over the
lifetime of the Local Plan.